Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



UNTTnn STATES PATENT CHRISTIAN SHARPS, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HVlPRGV'ENENT IN BREECH-L/OADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,607, dated October29, 1861.

To all whom it may concern.-

'Be it known that I, Crrnrsrmn SHAnrs, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-LcadingFire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following t0 be a full, clear,and eXact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in breech-loading fire-armsespecially arranged for ydischarging what are generally known asmetallic cartridges; and my improvements consist, first, in a verticalsliding breech, in combination with the rearof the barrel, the latterbeing so recessed as to receive the head of the metallic cartridge;secondly, in a movable block arranged on the sliding breech,substantially as described hereinafter, and forming a medium ofcommunication between the hammer and the metallic cartridge for thepurpose of discharging the latter; thirdly, in furnishing the bar bymeans of which the spent cartridge is extracted with an inclined notchso arranged in respect to the head of the metallic cartridge that whenthe latter is discharged a portion of the head will penetrate the notch,and thereby become so connected with the end of the bar that theextraction of the cartridge may be effected with certainty.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now proceed to describe its construction andoperation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a side view of a sufficient portion of abreech-loading fire-arm to illustrate my improvements; Fig. 2, asectional view; Fig. 3, a sectional plan on the line l 2, Fig. 2; Fig.Ll, a transverse vertical section on the line 3 4, Fig. l; Fig. 5, asectional view of a portion of my improvements, and Fig. 6 an enlargedsectional view of a portion ofthe rear end of the barrel with themetallic cartridge.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A represents part ofthe barrel, and B part of the stock, of thefire-arm, G being the frame which forms the junction of the stock withthe barrel. In this frame is formed an opening for receiving thevertical sliding breech D,which is situated at right angles to the boreof the barrel, and which may be operated by a lever bent so as to formthe trigger-guard, or by an independent lever, as seen in my patent ofSeptember l2, 1848, the front face of the sliding breech fitting snuglyagainst the projection a at the rear of the barrel, as seen in Fig. 2,and this projection being recessed for the reception of the head orenlargement :v of the metallic cartridge E. 0n one side of the slidingbreech is a curved recess for receivinga curved block, F, which isconfined to thev breech by a set-screw, b, passing through an oblongslot in the block, so that the latter can have a limited movement in itscurved recess. The lower end of the block is provided with a smallprojection, y, so situated as to coincide with a point in the rear andnear one edge of the head x of the metallic cartridge, as seen in Fig. 3and in the enlarged view Fig. 6, the upper end of the block beingsuitably formed for receiving the outer end of the hammer G. (See Fig.l.) A spring, d, fastened into an inclined recess in one side of thesliding breech, serves to maintain the block F in an elevated positionand its projection y free from contact with the metallic cartridge whenthe hammer is raised.

In one side of the frame C, which connects the barrel with the stock, isa recess for receiving the sliding bar H, which has at one end a head,c, of a proper form for being handled by the linger and thumb, and atthe opposite end a projection, h, fitting into a recess at the rear ofthe barrel, the end of this projection being arranged to catch againstthe inside of the head x of the metallic cartridge, and having aninclined notch. v (Best observed on reference to the enlarged view Fig,6.)

On the upper edge of the sliding bar H is a pin, j, the end of whichcatches into a notch in a small block, m, the latter being arranged toslide in a chamber formed -in the frame C, and

containing a spiral spring, n,which is confined to the chamber byaset-screw or plug, q. The sliding bar His maintained in its place by theplate I and set-screw K, after the removal of which and after thedetachment of the hammer the bar may be withdrawn from its place.

It will be observed on reference to Fig. Lithat there is a concavedepression, t, on the upper edges of the sliding breech, this concavitycoinciding or nearly coinciding with the lower edge of the head 00 ofthe metallic cartridge wh en the breech has been depressed to its lowestpoint. rIhe object of this arrangement will be rendered apparenthereinafter. It will also be seen on reference to Figs. 2 and 3, thatthe upper edge of the frame @which connects the barrel with the breech,is hollowed out or cut away at w, so as to admit of the ready admissionof the cartridge to its place in the rear of the barrel when the slidingbreech is depressed.

Operation: After lowering the breech to the position shown in Fig. 4,the cartridge is in.- serted into the barrel, its head x fitting snuglyinto the recess of the projection a. After this the breech is raised,the hammer cocked, and the fire-arm is readyto be discharged. i Onreleasing the hammer it will strike the curved block F, suddenly depressthe same so that its projection y will pierce the edge ofthe head x ofthe metallic cartridge and explode the detonating material with whichthe head is filled, thereby discharging the load. It will be ob servedon reference to Fig. 6 that when the projection y of the block F strikesthe edge of the enlargement x of the metallic caltridge E, that portionof the enlargement struck by the said projection will be driven into theinclined notch of the projection 7L of the sliding bar H. Afterdischarging the load, the hammer is elevated and the sliding breechdepressed to the position shown in Fig. 4, in order that the spentcartridge may be withdrawn. This is done by means ofthe sliding bar H,the head i of which is seized between the finger and thumb of theoperator,who pulls the bar in the direction of the stock, and therebywithdraws the spent cartridge, the flange of which has by the actionofthe hammer become connected with the projection h ofthe bar H. Duringthe extraction of the cartridge the head is guided by the concavity ordepression on the upper edge of the sliding breech. After thuswithdrawing the cartridge, the bar H is allowed to be moved back to itsformer position by the action of the spiral spring a, another cartridgeis then inserted into the bore of the barrel, and the above-describedmovements are repeated.

I do not desire to claim, broadly, the use of a vertical sliding breechin connection with breech-loading fire-arms; but

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Thevertical sliding breech D, in combination with the rear of the barrelwhen thelatter is recessed for the reception of the head a' of ametallic cartridge, substantially as set forth.

2. Theblock F, arranged on thesliding breech substantially as set forth,and forming a medium of communication between the ham merand themetallic cartridge, for the purpose of discharging the latter, asdescribed.

3. The inclined notch on the end of the projection h of the sliding barH, the said notch being so arranged in respect to the head a: of themetallic cartridge that when the latter is discharged a portion of thehead will penetrate the notch, as set forth, forthe purpose specified.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. l

CHRISTIAN SHARPS.

Witnesses:

JOHN WHITE, CHARLES E. Fos'rnn.

